Ladders are routinely used to access areas that are above standing height. They frequently serve as work platforms. Anyone who has used a ladder is well aware that even the slightest body movements of a person perched a ladder can cause objects placed on the ladder top (if flat), fold out shelf (if present) or rung (if flat) to tumble from the ladder to the ground. A well-worn comedy scene immediately comes to mind, wherein a can of paint falls from a ladder onto someone's head.
Although movies sometimes regarding an object's fall as a humorous event, the reality of falling objects is rarely funny. Not only can falling objects such as heavy or sharp tools injure bystanders, but the person on the ladder can lose his or her balance in an attempt to catch falling, or about to fall objects. Even if the ladder user remains on the ladder, he or she does not do so for long, because he or she must descend the ladder, collect the object(s) and re-climb the ladder. Climbing up and down a ladder 10, 20, or 30 feet can be exhausting, especially if done repeatedly, and it is certainly a frustrating waste of time.
A short, six-foot utility or step-ladder having a flat top, flat steps, and a fold-out tray provides some space for placing objects. However, when it is time to move the ladder to an adjacent work area, usually everything falls off of the ladder. An attempt to overcome the problem of tool storage is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 317,206, wherein a tool holder having two large pockets is fitted over the top of a standard, utility ladder. The disclosed tool holder, however, cannot be used or adapted for use at another location on the ladder other than the top; and it cannot be used in association with a common extension ladder. Further, thin objects like screwdrivers can fall into the pockets making them hard to identify and grasp if multiple objects are in the pockets.
An attempt to overcome the challenges associated with tool carriage on an extension ladder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,918, wherein a two-part bucket is balanced on a rung. Although a flange is provided to help stabilize the bucket, it only does so in one direction. Thus, if the weight distribution between the two sides of the bucket becomes uneven, the bucket could easily flip off of the ladder. Further, the protruding bucket sides make it difficult to lean against the ladder for body support, even if the ladder user is unconcerned with ejecting the contents of the bucket. Also, the upwardly extending handle and the protruding bucket sides render two rungs of the ladder inaccessible.